We reached around 2:15 and saw the line extremely long. There were about 70% bd suppporters from Sydney or surrounding states and only about 30% Canberrans I would say. There were a few Aussies there as well, I heard them repeatedly saying they have never heard so much noise in a stadium before. They thoroughly enjoyed us though. Parking was tough to come by and the Manuka oval is known to have a bad parking history.

The start was pretty nervy. Tamim and Anamul were very watchful, too watchful to be honest. And once the wickets fell, things turned really bad and it was almost as if all the supporters thought we are losing this. But as soon as Shakib walked in, we all screamed top of our lungs his name and he just kept rotating the strike even when he was not hitting the boundaries. And once he started hitting them, he just flowed. There was one shot which went to square leg by Mushy that in my opinion was the shot of the match. The ground was just filled with Bangladeshi flags, one placard read Afghani meat is the best meat in the world, lots of banters around. Afghanis were pretty agressive in the beginning, and at one stage were rallying in the stadium with drums which I don't know how in the world they brought along through security.

Our lower order was abysmal to be honest. I think they need some time in the nets where they just practice boundary shots. From 8-11 the batsmen looked clueless. And I was standing right next to the dressing room when Mominul walked in and I just fell from sky. I had no idea he was playing at that moment. Why on earth was he left to face the last remaining balls and not batted earlier?

When the side bowled, we didn't have time to catch our breath. I was watching them practicing, first thing that struck me was that Mashrafe really was bowling accurately even in the practice. He was much slower than the others but everytime he would go over the wicket or inside. He was just on target each time. Although his speed looked terrible, but once the match started even the 130ks looked ominous. But when Rubel bowled his first over we had our jaws dropped. It was almost like a time wrap. I have to say Rubel was a joy to watch, and there was no teasing or whatsoever and he would wave at us when we shouted his name. He did fall down really hard for that catch and was limping afterwards, although he came back to bowl. Hope he is alright.

Now I come to the point I looked forward the most. Taskin was a delight to watch. He has got aggression and pace like I have not seen. I watched the BBL final on the same ground, Brett Lee seemed fast. But Taskin just got way more bounce and the pace seemed along with Brett Lee, or even faster at times. The carry was way way more than Rubel. Both of them have a real weapon in their hands, the bouncers. One of Taskin's ball just flew of the batsman who ducked but missed it. I mean it just flew. It was lightening quick. Hamid and Shapoor from Afghanis were quick but Taskin and Rubel were yards quicker than them. Taskin was really unlucky to not get more wickets, I was walking around the stadium and was just behind Shakib when he missed a chance. It was not that easy to be honest and he didn't even try for a catch later on that should have been dived and caught.

Shakib though was easily the most cheered batsman,bowler, fielder. We screamed his name and even the Aussies started taking notice and joined us from behind. We just had so much fun cheering for the team, dancing and rallying the flag, it almost felt like home in Canberra last night.

The talk about victory lap is just plain ridiculous. The whole team just thanked the fans for their amazing support, which was heart warming. For most part of the match, the Bangladeshi team seemed unfriendly but at the end they made up more than enough for it. Mind you, the kind of galis and banters they have to hear from the "Bangladeshi" crowd should probably explain this. One guy was sitting right behind Shakib and saying "Shakib tui to run korli na ekhon catch dhor", once he missed the catch he screamed "koi mach dhorosoh?". Just one or two incidents like that, and one other time when we were screaming Rubel Rubel because he was fielding right infront of us and just took a wicket, some other guys were screaming Happy, Happy Happy. Times like those I really feel I could take a mic and shut them up. We need to send constructive messages if at all to the team not the other way around. But overall, the team got the general message, that was of complete love and utter admiration for the team. Believe it or not, even the radios in Canberra were reporting the crazy fans who drove down from Sydney with flags on sides and top of the car throughout the day.

I have a feeling if we get off to a good start, and we are positive we can take on any team in this world cup. Rubel, Taskin and Mashrafe are truly world class in Australian pitches and condition. They are a treat to watch. Mushy and Shakib wont stand up everyday and this where the rest of them have to click. Shoumya looked very very confident and has a very good technique and is very positive, it was very heartening to see. Anamul was getting behind the ball but way too slow. Tamim was too careful again. It was more the approach then the ability. I feel with Australia they should just go in, have fun, not look for a settlement but try to dictate terms and show the world they are not afraid. This should be a chance to show flair and scare a few opponents and prove to the naysayer that we are a very good team and we are here to win. And trust me Australia should be afraid. Yesterday's condition was not perfect for fast bowling, it was sticky and humid and lots of sun so the players were dehydrating fast, but once they get a bouncy Australian pitch with a nice weather, Rubel and Taskin would be clicking 150ks, trust me on that one.

The message I would give to the Bangaldeshi players again against Australia is to be totally and utterly fearless. Not give a damn about the team but concentrate on surprising them, because honestly surprised they will be when they meet a team like Bangladeshi which has that x-factor. Good luck.

I hate it how people claim that we were taking a victory lap. I have seen some outside fans complain about the celebration while sme understood the reason for the lap. But the worst part is a lot of comms like Laxman and Hayden I think were saying that there was no reason for this "victory lap".

From the Gallery: A personal account of Bangladesh vs Afghanistan at the 2015 WC opening game
Tanvir Hossain Tarafder

The author had the pleasure and joy of being at the Manuka Oval to watch the Bangladesh team navigate what could have been a banana peel in their opening WC match against newcomer Afghanistan. He shares with us his personal and from the heart review of this match and offers some sage advice to the Bangladesh team for their next match against the home team.

__________________> Start slow. Build a base. Then explode.
> I needed to perform so that I could give my countrymen an occasion to cherish and be proud of - Ice Man> My photographs @ flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/obayedh/